Conventionally, in a recording apparatus for recording video data, audio data or the like, for example a camcorder, a plurality of data of recorded several scenes are recorded in respective files on a disk-shape recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk or an optical disk. A known recording/reproducing apparatus has both functions of reproducing and editing recorded data by providing such a recording apparatus with a display section, for example a liquid crystal display panel and an organic electroluminescence display panel, and a sound generating section such as a speaker.
A user (user) who uses such a recording apparatus or a recording/reproducing apparatus often records scenes of different recording dates, scenes of different travel spots, scenes of different events and the like on a single recording medium when the recording medium has a large capacity.
In such a recording medium which has a plurality of scenes recorded thereon in respective files, the user can select desired data to be reproduced or edited by specifying a file.
Typically, a desired file is generally specified, for example by entering the name of the file. When a plurality of files, particularly a number of files are recorded on the recording medium, it is difficult for the user to remember all the file names in desired files.
Thus, it is contemplated that it is convenient to provide an index file (index file) in which information (index information) for identifying the contents of the plurality of files recorded on the recording medium are organized. In the index file, the index information of the plurality of files are sequentially stored corresponding to the plurality of files. It is contemplated that the recording/reproducing apparatus displays respective index information corresponding to the plurality of files on the display section in accordance with this index file and the user refers to this to specify a desired file.
When the plurality of files can be retrieved with such an index file, the user may perform edits to replace a file with another file or to rewrite only the file name of a specific file. In such a case, the data amount of the index information in the file subjected to the edits after the edits may be different from that before the edits, and the storing position of each index information in the index file before the edits may be different from that after the edits. Thus, a change in the index file may not be supported by rewriting new index information only in the position where the index information corresponding to the edited file is stored. Therefore, the whole index file must be rewritten, or the portion after the position where the index information corresponding to the edited file is stored must be written.
However, when a number of files are managed by the index file, the data amount of the index file is large and thus a problem occurs that it takes a long time for writing the index file on the recording medium. In addition, since writing requires a long time depending on the material of the recording medium or the recording method, a problem occurs that it takes a long time for writing the index file.
Thus, it is an embodiment of the present invention to provide a recording method and a recording apparatus capable of performing rewriting of an index file at high speed when the index file is rewritten by dividing index information into a fixed data length section and a variable data length section.
It is another embodiment of the present invention to provide a recording medium which has such a fast rewritable index file recorded thereon and an electronic camera provided with such a recording apparatus.